The Simple Things That Matter

Rural church pastors have a unique set of issues. On top of dealing with a disparate membership, their location makes it difficult for active church participation. Today’s leader must be creative and innovative in transforming or renewing a rural church into one with a following and a congregation like that of a Mega-Church. This includes active use of its facilities to help serve the community through daycares, programs to better peoples’ lives including; resume writing, job search, counseling services, domestic violence and homeless safe havens. While also taking advantage of the Internet, pastoral community visits and other technological advances to get the word out on their relevancy to help those who need it most.

Are you leading your rural church in being relevant for spreading the Gospel and being an integral part of the community or is it just a structure with historical value with no spirit of activity flowing from it? A leader’s relevance hinges on their ability to influence a group to be in unison for the achievement of a common purpose or goal. (Northouse, 2007) Whether it’s growth of a church or any other task, leaders have the fiduciary role of bringing everyone together for accomplishment of a shared goal. In describing how the church should interact with the community, Matthew suggests in a world which emphasizes the value of strength, the church must be active in taking in the “weak, socially powerless, ill-connected and the ungifted and nurture them. (Desilva, 2004) What is the health and presence of your church in the community?

Are we not motivated by God’s anointing us to serve? What can we do to improve and affirm our own beliefs while doing as we’ve been commanded to do? Being a pastor is not an easy position. Not only are they the organization’s spiritual leader, they must also be responsible for shepherding the church, it’s affairs, while also saving souls of those who are believers and want their lives to become better once they become ‘Saved’. But there’s more to the story. Oftentimes there are other ministries associated with the church including: food distribution, domestic violence protection, helping the homeless and underserved, but also counseling members and others to get back on their feet and be productive in society.

Preparing rural ministers to be effective requires a lot of diverse training and education. (Sherin, 2012) With so many diverse challenges coupled with lower income levels, the calling to these areas aren’t attractive to aspiring pastors with their eyes on getting a Mega church or a huge congregation. But it doesn’t discount the value they add to established communities and perhaps they’ve overlooked an opportunity to grow God’s kingdom without being in a major metropolitan area.

Having grown up in a rural church and through my consultations, I believe in the intimacy and value they offer. Although today’s youth have a strong faith, their active participation in churches remains on the decline. (Roehlkepartain and Benson, 1993) This only compounds the concerns of rural church pastors. They’ve either migrated to larger cities or seek out other venues to worship which require less effort. So, how do they get the youth and their parents to come and actively participate in the church and its activities? Perhaps they should consider tweaking some of their leadership and embrace other initiatives to draw them in.

Do today’s pastors understand and know the demographics for the community in which they exist? Does their staff reflect these demographics and how can it help them to better understand its impact? Are there non-profits and other help ministries available to serve the needs of the community? In the early stages of growing the church, Apostle Paul and others had the charge and responsibility to grow the church. In his Letters, the Apostle Paul reminds his disciples of the challenges they will face as they expand the church, but also serves as motivation to have faith and what they are doing is right and God will reward them for their good works. (DeSilva, 2004) Are today’s ministers just as obligated and creative as the Apostle Paul was for continued growth of the ministry regardless of the location? In the infancy of the church, Apostle Paul, carefully selected deacons and elders to help him grow the church. Their intestinal fortitude coupled with their desire to serve God in spreading the Gospel goes without saying as they traversed the region, dealing with challenges, but also doing what the Lord commanded them to do.

Oftentimes, these locations were not brick and mortar buildings, but outdoors or they used synagogues and other venues where the crowds could gather and hear the Word.

In today’s spirit of intent and with the legacy of the Apostle Paul and others, have pastors today gotten too comfortable in their ways and not found ways to spread the Word beyond their current structure? Are pastors using their staff and congregation to create a blueprint or mind-mapping individually and then as a consensus to bring about a change to maintain their church’s relevancy or are they sticking with the status quo? (Michalko, 2001) There will be certain pockets resistance to change, however as leaders, it will have to be managed and convinced the right things are being done to save the church.

Exit interviews

Is your church conducting exit interviews of its departing members, key pastoral staff or others and what value does it add? (Schultz, 2014) In business one of the practices deemed important is to better understand why people are leaving the organization. Whether it is a promotion, relocation or just not a good fit, leaders get the opportunity to talk with the departing employee and gain all types of information. What was the supervisor they worked for was like, if the team jelled, were they productive, what could’ve been made better, if they were the boss for one day what would they change? Not only to get a sense of why a member is leaving, but also to serve as a sounding board to solicit ideas, suggestions or other practices not considered for the membership. This is especially true for the ‘church hoppers’. Granted, the hopes are for everyone to have a church home, but helping to make someone comfortable may only require a few tweaks others may have not even mentioned but had concerns about. Also has their been an effort to reach out to previous members for their views as well? Perhaps they would consider returning to the active church rolls.

Challenges and Concerns

Although this won’t apply to everyone, it is a reminder for those who truly have been called on by God to spread the Gospel and to help their fellowman spiritually; they should seek out some asymmetric ways of completing their mission.

Church planting has become a bit of a phenomenon as of late as storefront churches continue to pop out almost overnight. In his own quest to plant churches, Bob Roberts describes not only the value of doing such work to spread the Gospel, but also the challenges in doing so. (Glocal.net, 2013) There remains a need to spread the Gospel and to be active in the community. Yet, some of the rural churches aren’t taking advantage of their positioning through legacy and locations. How can they take advantage of what assets are already at their disposal (legacy membership) and use it to connect in new realms others has failed to explore to give them an advantage. (Michalko, 2001) They’ve been there through time, yet as with soil used for planting, sometimes it has to be renewed with fertilizer or other enhancements to allow plants to grow healthy.

Are church leaders open to new ideas on how to grow their membership and position in the community? Tushman and O’Reilly (2004) describe the value of when leaders establish an environment whereas creative and innovation can flow and everyone should want to participate in the process. (Tushman and O’Reilly, 2004). Pastors must ask themselves is there staff just as diverse as their membership or is it one or two key personnel in the church making all the decisions and expecting the congregation to just follow and not participate in church operations? Imagine how much better the church could be if everyone shared in the organization’s vision and values while participating in sharing to make it better? (Morgan, 1997) They see the problem to, but don’t know how to resolve it or don’t feel their suggestions will be valued or considered.

Suggested Solutions

 Leadership

Leadership requires continual learning, feedback from members, staff, & other stakeholders and renewal cycles. When is the last time your organization conducted formal or in-house leadership training? If it’s been that long since training has been conducted, then ask why not? Oftentimes, church leaders are ‘busy’ with managing the church affairs, but yet training offers great value and insight into the organization and it’s issues and concerns. Who is spearheading relationship with technologies experts and partnerships with other non-profits, and education of staff? Perhaps there are some teaming opportunities to be further studied for best fit of the church.

One of the primary concerns with being rural is its disparate location, as it makes in difficult for some to get to church because of lack of transportation or the economy. Although churches may invest in vans, ridesharing and other networks to get to church, it’s not enough. However, technology has enhanced the footprint of ministry. Now more than ever, for those churches using social media, and other virtual technology the need to increase their web-presence is valued. Even with the changes in technology, culture is still vital to cross-cultural communication. Pastors will need to invest more time to in-person visits and community interaction instead of waiting for members to come to them.

With changing demographics, communities are changing. Rosen, Digh, Singer, and Phillips (2000) suggest leaders need to be open to differing world-views, but use them to develop strategies and action plans to embrace other cultures. Traditions are inherited and taught much like our culture. Some of the elements of effective communication are not only observing and understanding the cultural norms of a particular group but also being culturally sensitive when communicating important information. An effective communicator not only has something important to say but knows when, where and how to present the communication, so that it does not fail. Are there interpreters within your church organization? If warranted, now is the time to get some.

Role of consultants

Consultants lend an expertise that may not be present in the current structure. The role of the consultant is combination of problem solver, counselor, mediator and sounding board. (Block, 2011) Although there may be some level of expertise and corporate knowledge on the staff, however if their experience is limited then the suggestions they offer would be at that same level. Seek out an external consultant with documented and reputable experience in building churches. Their intent would be to come in an analyze the organization through questionnaires, observations and interviews of people including a sampling of key staff and members to better understand the intricacies of the organization. The insight they offer and suggest will only be as good as what the organization will act upon. So when making such an investment, also buy into the time and team participation it will take to make those suggestions come to fruition.

Conclusion

The role of church still has value in the community. Not only as place of worship and spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but also in being a safe harbor for a myriad of ministries that will help the community and the people be uplifted and help improve their lives. The calling to do the work of God is a life-changing event. Although everyone has a position in God’s vineyard, the calling to serve in the role of pastor is critical to leading the church in a positive manner that gives the glory to God.

Pastors and other key members including church membership are in a position to make their church be at its best in the community as well as to spread the Gospel and it be a reflection in their daily lives. Their inactivity creates opportunity for new churches to crop up in their area and seek out members who may be dissatisfied with the current leadership. The choice is theirs. But, don’t forget how the Apostle Paul expanded the church into being a global presence and impact. Pastors, if it’s their true calling, should want their church to be seen as a place where families and those needing the Word while looking to work in the vineyard can come in and actively work. Can this be attained?

Biography

Dr. Jeffrey Jones served on active duty Air Force for 20 years. As a Retired Security Specialist, Dr. Jones has worked in a variety of security operations positions. These include conducting security assessments worldwide. He earned a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership at Regent University. Any questions about this article can be directed to him at jeffjo3@regent.edu.

It was in January 2016 when the execution of a young black man by a Chicago police officer was exposed that raised the flag.  Had it not been for a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the public would probably have never known what happened or better yet, seen the video footage. Is it any wonder why mistrust of the police and law enforcement continues to be an issue in urban and economically-disadvantaged neighborhoods. But, it still took well over a year for this tragedy to be exposed. Perhaps it only scratched the surface of a more deeper issue.  But it was more than enough time for Rahm Emanuel to be re-elected to another term as mayor. In a contested and heated reelection campaign did anyone stop to think what would have happened if this expose’ occurred and became a campaign issue?

After all, the police commissioner works at the pleasure of the mayor. Sure, the police commissioner was fired and the police officer involved was charged for his part, however whatever happens if anything to the politician. This is a recurring theme all over the nation in cities such as Ferguson, Baltimore  even NYPD and others whereas the elected official has the authority to let an appointed official go who’s become a political liability.

Most of these leaders get a golden parachute and end up recycled and running another ‘low-morale’ department elsewhere. Just ‘Google’ fired police chiefs or commissioners to prove my point.

We fast forward to the recent events in Baton Rouge and Dallas. There is a lot of outrage of what has transpired so various groups have began marching and protesting in front of police departments demanding a change in protocol and training. Local, municipal and state elected leaders have much authority and influence over the style of policing it’s officers impose on the public. Police leadership tend to focus on ensuring their officers are trained to standards in accordance to agency accreditation, but there is another side not often talked about.

Do the marching orders of the force comes from the elected official over the police chief?  After all, we all work for somebody right? As an example, in high-end areas of most cities, police are more community-oriented and responsive to the needs of the constituents. But, in poorer areas and those without a voice and most not likely to vote, police are more about enforcement of infractions of laws on the books thereby becoming income generators for the municipality, city or state.  Unfortunately when something goes wrong in the economic deserts, violence and looting occurs. Chances are because it’s not their property being destroyed. In reaction of course now the police have to put on their armor and deal with that stress-filled situation. Mind you, this is not always the case. Sure peaceful protests do occur but what more can be done for transparency?

It’s all about the presentation of the data and the communication of crime statistics and deployment of forces. But there are sensible solutions. A growing trend of cities are creating active citizens’ police and public safety oversight groups. These groups need the support of other citizens and the diversity of their voices in the community to be effective. But that’s not enough. Citizens from throughout community have a fiduciary responsibility to actively participate in the process. Not just talk about it, but also be about it.  Yes, become a registered voter; participate in local political forums with potential candidates while also actively becoming that citizen who cares for your respective community.  Make an investment in the process.

With social media and other mediums of communication the means to keep citizens aware is available. But, when a dancing cat can get more likes on SnapChat, Facebook or Instagram than an upcoming community meeting, then who’s the blame when the politician and police chief fail to live up to expectations of the public? Our ancestors fought for us to have these rights of inclusion, it’s time we honor their legacy.

Biography

Dr. Jeffrey Jones served on active duty Air Force for 20 years. As a Retired Security Specialist, he has served in a variety of command, strategic planning and security management & assessment positions. His experience involved him leading, preparing and coordinating complex force protection, public safety and asset protection programs; domestically and internationally.

Positioned to Lead

“But do you know their agenda”

As a military leader I’ve had the opportunity to work in a variety of organization environments. Whether it was stateside or in an overseas environment, leadership mattered to deal with challenges and solving problems. In the overseas environment based on host nation agreements, we recognized we had to be diplomatic with our solutions and included locals in our process for better buy-in.

Since I’ve transitioned to civilian life I’ve noticed or found the challenges to completely different. It’s about the money, power and influence. As a civilian leader I continue to serve in leadership roles and as I’ve tried to maneuver this ocean one thing continues to come to mind: what are people’s motivation in leadership.

Naturally, if you’re at the top of the organization many won’t question someone’s motivations, because their on top. But understanding those motivations and connecting the dots will help you manage your boss and continue to understand the organizational structure.

Self evaluate

Before getting started on your quest, take the time to look at yourself in the mirror and reflect on what you truly want by accepting a position at your organization. Why are you there? What do you expect to accomplish? Did you come for pay?  Do you know any leaders in the organization? How can you leverage your current relationships? Do you really care?

Understanding you own current positioning in the company and your motivations should help you to get a better feel for information you looking to determine.

Understand different types of leadership

Leaders lead and it traditionally taken them some time, sweat, alliances to get to their level. Most will tell you ‘mom and apple-pie’ stories about understanding the strategic plan and aligning your goals there for a start, but you want to know who’s going to get you to the next level.

It’s said some are born leaders while others work at it through job positions and leverage to attain leadership roles.

Regardless leaders always have certain factors in common; they are associated with an organization and they will have followers and line-managers executing duties on behalf of the company. Understanding the role of their relationships with followers and other key leaders in the organization is critical. It will make the difference of them remaining a leader or going to be a technical manager.

Also, keep in mind there will also be opportunities to emerge into leadership positions.

We all have a our motivations, its just a matter of aligning ours with those who can help us along the way.

One such theory is the path-goal theory. Although it is derived from research in the 1970s by researchers M.G. Evans, G. Dessler, R.J. House and R.R. Mitchell, this theory focuses on the leader motivating the follower to accomplish the organizations’ tasks in a timely and exceeding-standards manner.

This style is one that allows the leader through feedback and other sessions to:

1. Analyze the goals of the organization,
2. Ensure the subordinate has an understanding of what’s required
3. Do they have the training needed to accomplish the task
4. Offer the follower a support model to help get through the challenges
5. Open lines of communication

Although this may seem simple, developing and having communication is one of the keys to making this process successful.

Depending on the deliverables and timelines needed to complete tasks and meet the needs of the organization the leader may choose from several styles of leadership.

1. Directive: this type gives the subordinate exactly what needs to be done to accomplish tasks.
2. Supportive: this is a more nurturing relationship and the leader cares for the subordinate’s well-being.
3. Participative: allows the subordinate to share in making decisions and offering solutions regarding the task.
4. Achievement-oriented: the leader establishes a high level of excellence for the subordinate to complete the task.

As a leader, you more than likely use any one of them on more than one occasion and depending on the motivation of the follower, you may create a hybrid.

Regardless of the type of leadership, understanding the leader’s motivation will only help you in understanding their agenda.

It could be:

1. Money
2. Position
3. More power and authority
4. Accolades from the boss
5. Influencing hiring practices
6. Being seen as valued-added to the organization.
7. Vision of what the organization could be

There any number of motivations to choose however these are the more popular.

Emerging leaders have to open their lenses to many differing views of leadership theory. No one theory works for everyone. Just as we are individuals, a leader’s employees or followers will all have different motivations and need to be focused to get the best out of them.

Even the transformational leader, by the design, has the ability to bring about change through vision, sharing of ideas, and willing to listen and create an environment that success can thrive.

Organizations, regardless of its market, need competent, effective Chief Security Officers to protect its programs, people and visitors to progress. Organizations cannot exist on their own without CSOs who understand the environment. They must interact with customers, external businesses, politicians and other environmental concerns to be effective. Motivated by the needs of the organization they serve, the CSO will remain an integral part of most organizations that compete on a global level.

Clearly the emerging leader, through training and mentorship from previous leaders, should have developed tools in the toolkit that can used when necessary. Wolinski (2010) when describing leadership theory believes that they can be grounded in three perspectives: relationship, combination of traits and leadership skills. Although, it can be discussed that some of these skills are learned while others are innate and a part of our DNA. Yet, regardless of the oversimplification of this, at the end of the day, influencing the group to do what’s needed to accomplish the goals set forth is what matters most. Can our emerging leaders embrace change while putting their egos in check because of their power position in the organization?

The CSO should be motivated to take the organization to the next level by influencing followers to take an active role and come along in the journey of meeting objectives. Organizations, regardless of its market, need competent effective Chief Security Officers to protect its programs, people and visitors to progress.

Organizations cannot exist on their own without leaders who understand the environment. They must interact with customers, external businesses, politicians and other environmental concerns to be effective. The two are linked and need each other. How effective will the organization be without a dynamic leader carrying the torch for others internal and external to see?

Become a catalyst of change

“Do you have the courage to transform your ministry?”

To give is divine. Give from the heart. It’s the Christian thing to do.  Churches serve as the jewel for most communities. As the leader, you have the charge of healing souls, leading ministries, helping the downtrodden and speaking that kind word to the stranger who needed to hear something positive before making a bad decision.  Can you remember when you took over the helm of the church? Your eyes lit up with enthusiasm as you walked into the church and looked forward to working with the personalities to help those in need. Yet, over time even you recognized your church and its ministries were not making the grade and it was time for some changes. Your membership has fallen off as well as tithes and this has impacted the ability to do more of the Lord’s work.  You’ve reached a point whereas you have to look at doing something new just because being only a brick and mortar church is not working.

Yet, throughout time, there are instances that churches did not change to better serve its congregation and ministries. I’m not talking about changing the founding principles of what a church or its ministries should be, which is bible-based and principled to do the Lord’s work. Embracing all of the new mediums of communication to enhance and enable the church to extend its reach is my concern. There is a whole new dynamic for ministries to be effective or ineffective depending on how it’s viewed.

It’s a blessing to give to those in need. Yet every night churches and other religious organizations all over the world provide safe harbor for many that society has denied or turned their back on. Meals, a warm blanket, a friendly smile and other services are given to those in need.  These are some of the ways the church is meeting the needs and opening its doors to the community. But some leaders don’t embrace the need to let those who need the covering of a good church or ministry. This is an opportunity to change to make a difference. And it’s okay for a church to have its traditions, values, and legacy. New members and visitors should want to understand the historical value of the church’s rich culture and history so they can understand where it’s come from and heading.

Pastors and other church leaders have a major responsibility to its congregation. The congregation and other community organizations can facilitate the vision of the church to make it a beacon of light in the community. Church leaders want its members to have plenty of work in the vineyard and want to ensure the ministries are supported. Oftentimes, members donate from their own personal accounts to make due on the needs of the church when it falls short on funds. This can create some undue friction and have members reconsidering they own commitment and allegiance to the church.

But, God always come through. Just as the pews are filled on Sunday morning, so should the ministries be teeming with members who want to be a part of something extraordinary for the Lord. As your church and its ministries look to improve, here are some suggestions to consider when expanding your reach.

Know and communicate the core values of the church

Every church should have a document that has guiding principles upon which the church is built. These should include history, former pastors, productivity of ministries (committees) and teaming with community activities to better serve the Lord.  The document can be created in several versions: visitors, new members, updates for members at business meetings, deacons and other stakeholders. Remember that today’s visitor is tomorrow’s new member.

Be a visionary

Take time to reflect on the needs of the church and where you want it to be. Talk with deacons, church elders and other key personnel to get differing views. Conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis and review the information that was discovered, known and unknown. Don’t be afraid to talk with pastors from other churches to get best practices that have worked for them as well.

Strategic Plan

Your church and ministries should have long and short-term goals. Whether it be increasing membership or expanding your ministries, document all of the options. More importantly, as a leader, this is also an opportunity to get others involved in formulating this plan. If all goes well, they will be your advocates in moving the plans forward from concept to realization. Consider incremental change. Start with programs that are not currently succeeding, create a track record of success or tweak plan to improve on way forward.

The church is in the business of serving God.  Successful churches, as a part of their business plan, should know whom their key stakeholders are. Churches have annual business meetings to discuss everything from the strategic plan to how monies are being spent, what ministries are supported at what cost, and how much is taken in every year through tithes and donations. The churches, through its ministries, offer members the opportunity to join a ministry as what’s been gifted to them by God. But not all ministries are created equal with some having more risk.

Know and understand the culture in which you wish to serve and impact

This is critical. Ensure the leadership team and others in key positions are active in moving programs forward in a positive manner.  If your church and ministries are of a global nature, review the means of communicating your message. Have a consultant with a background of cultural awareness review your plan to make sure nothing will impede progress.

Remove obstacles and people that will resist change.

Communicate to everyone: the public, congregation, other churches and civic organizations, how your church organization intends to impact the community and act as an enabler to help all of God’s children.

Get a consultation

Getting a change consultation is more reasonable than you know. As Christian consultants, we understand the importance of serving God but also being reasonable when consulting for our brethren doing the Lord’s work.  It’s an investment well worth the peace of mind not only for church leadership, but members and visitors as well. Change is difficult, but having an experienced consultant to help bear the burden will put your plan on track.

Change is not easy. There will be naysayers and distractions that will attempt to deter you from your goal of transformation. You want your church and ministries to be the best possible not only for your community, global and local, but also you’re your members to feel great in making a difference for God and his people. As a leader with God as your guide, you can do all things in Christ.

Congratulations, you just got the call, and landed your dream job. The pay is great, hours are manageable and your family and friends are happy for you and your continued success. As you closeout from your current position, you formulate all of the things you wanted to do with your current company, but just couldn’t because of management or did not get enough stakeholders buy-in or any other number of reasons. Yet through it all, you remained a team player and your big break has finally come. Your thoughts go back to your interview process and how you wowed the panel and future employers on what you bringing with your education, leadership style, and strategic thinking to better serve the organization.

As a leader, it’s a great feeling we’ve all had, but as you make the transition, you want to hit the ground running on day one. Before you go too far on your plans there are some thoughts you should consider before running off the deep end with excitement. As a leader, you need to plan-communicate, and create and action plan before Day one.

Attitude

Go into the new company with the right attitude and frame of mind. Leave your old company baggage at the security post. Understand that as the new leader you have to encounter new challenges and personalities of employees who do not know you, your agenda, and what you expect to accomplish. Be authentic but reserved in your interactions initially. Understand that it’s a company, a team, an organization that existed long before your arrival and with any hope, long after, but nonetheless you hope to make a difference in it’s future. Be open-minded for what you may expect to see, but as with any new undertaking, it will take time to evaluate who the leaders, formal and informal, company culture, and even if the company is positioned to move forward.

Review what you’ve already learned about your new organization. Most organization will have two websites, public and internal. The public website will contain information about the company, directions to get to the company, key leaders and public affairs contacts. However, the internal website will contain a wealth of information. By now you should know who are the key stakeholders, their market share and what their future holds and how you as a leader fit into the grand scheme of things. Although a lot of information may be available on-line, check internally as well to get a more detailed review of the company, strategic plan and vision.

Maintaining balance

Remember your family, friends, former colleagues and other loved ones embraced your promotion. Don’t forget them. A proper work life balance with help keep you grounded and all a schedule. All work and no play is no fun. Talk to you spouse and kids to schedule short-term and long-term vacations to unwind. If your children participate in sports, schedule time on your work calendar to go watch them. Kids grow up very fast and you don’t want to miss those opportunities to support them. Employees like to be recognized. Don’t manage by email. Take the time to know key events in your employees’ lives. Whether it is a birthday, marriage anniversaries or their kids’ graduation. Take the time to acknowledge their accomplishments and also work with them so that they will have a balance work-life relationship with their family. Their families will appreciate the sincerity the boss displays and acknowledges.

Meeting with the supervisor

When meeting with your new boss, have a great attitude. Create a leader/follower environment.  Chances are your supervisor was involved in hiring you for your position. If so, this will be your first friendly face in the organization and someone whom you can ask questions.  Get more insight of what wasn’t discussed during the interview, but also insight of the challenges of your position, whether the person you replaced retired, removed, or transitioned to another leadership position in the company. Inquire if it’s possible to schedule some time with your predecessor.  If he/she were like you, they probably can give you some insight on some of the challenges they faced and outcome on certain initiatives and whether management was supportive.  During this initial phase, gather as much information as possible. It’s normally standard practice for new employees to have a familiarization session with Chief Operating Officers, or Chief of Staffs to discuss the company’s policies, including the open door policy.  By all means, if there are any questions, who to contact. If you get the opportunity to interact with leaders, state your happiness on being offered the opportunity to grow with the company, but more importantly you would like to schedule time with senior leaders and your supervisor in 60-90 days to give you time to evaluate your program, current health and suggested areas of improvement, short and long term.

Get a better understanding of your role in the organization. Although your role will have some level of definition formally. Informally, where does your position stand and does it truly have relevancy in the inner workings of the organization. Many times as a leader, we want to be relevant, but our positioning in the organization makes us less relevant than we recognize or want to be. Discuss strategies with your supervisor and other leaders in the organization to get a better understanding of your position relevancy or if its’ already positioned to be effective.

Who will report to you?

Understanding who reports to you is one of the most important responsibilities you’ll have as a leader.  By now, you should’ve met the employees in the immediate area of your office.

Identify resources that will be managed; people, monies, programs. What will impact those resources or are there shared linkages with other organizations. Will your employees be at one location or dispersed globally, internal or external; co-located with customers.  Oftentimes leaders, especially new hires, believe that they will be given all the resources needed to be an effective leader. The reality is that oftentimes we are not given what we need, but more so far less than we ever expected. Historically, this can improve over time by a few simple strategies.

Inquire with your current workforce and team leaders what is required to be effective in the performance of their duties, and what the organization is currently lacking. Being sincere and authentic in the request will normally warrant an honest response by those who work roles supporting your position.  Also get an understanding of whom you would contact if additional resources were needed.

Will your work be internet-dependent or require major business travel.

Assess the current workforce. Most employees will just want the ability to come to work, do their job, go to lunch and go home on time with minimum impact on their day. However, there will also be a few employees who will question every move you want to make and challenge it. Several steps should take place while doing your employee workforce inventory.  Prior to meeting with them on a personal level, have an understanding of what your position entails, and what niche or how your section or division fits into the bigger picture of the organization. Don’t overstate this position. Request feedback from your supervisor and discuss the importance of inventorying those who work for you and how as a leader you want to work hard to have the right skillset and personnel working under your stead.

Also, know and the understand company policies on equal employment opportunity (EEO) and Americans with Disabilities Act programs. Fully support these programs, but also get additional information and briefings from EEO officers on the dos and don’ts of the program.  Also try to get feel from the EEO officers if the office has had cross-cultural issues or concerns. Embrace cross-cultural differences and let employees know that you support those programs. Also know who the organizations legal counsel is and how the can support your role as manager.

Talk with your employees? Try to determine from them what has been some of their challenges or what has worked since coming to the organization? Discuss with them the importance of knowing where they fit into the organization and why it’s helpful for them to understand that role. All employees want to feel how the felt on Day One. Although that feeling may have changed over time, employees still want to be comfortable in their role, get increased pay and responsibility and fit into the organization.

By now as a leader you should have taken the time to review their records. Have an honest and productive conversation with them on their strengths and weaknesses. Also discuss areas of improvement. Discuss with them the importance of having an honest assessment of their skills and then they can move forward beyond their current state. In the federal government, OPM uses the 360-feedback model. however as a leader it’s recommended to check with human resources to determine which model works best for the organization. This model allows different people in a person’s organization, supervisors, mentors, and coworkers. Have open conversations about their goals, and aspirations? How can you help them and what kinds of training programs are available? Some may even want your job. Encourage them. What one the biggest benefits of being a leader is growing talent.  You will need to delegate certain jobs to others not only to maintain work-life balance, but also because it’s the right thing to do.

Afterwards, take the time to reflect on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) and challenges that were discovered, know and unknown.  Your supervisor may not have known some of the employees’ talents, but long-term, it may help them in identifying potential leaders or possibilities for other key positions prior to seeking talent beyond the current inventory.

Your future

What will be the mark that stakeholder’s set for your performance and is the leverage to train others for succession planning? Discuss with your supervision your goals, aspirations and if they will support the training of future leaders? You must take the time to get additional training and school. Being a leader also means being a lifelong learner. Don’t stifle you education just because you have a new position.

Conclusion

Being motivated on Day one is one the best feelings a new leader can have. Although it can be scary, there’s also excitement in the air. Your new organization has embraced you and your attitude has been winning and open-minded, yet authentic. Now go in there on Day One and make the impact that’s expected of you.

To give is divine. Give from the heart. It’s the Christian thing to do.  Churches serve as the jewel of most communities. There is a saying that as a church has a greater harvest, the music becomes better, it’s cleaner and the members and visitors enjoy the comforts provided and can focus on the word by the pastor.

Recently President Obama signed the new Insider Threat Strategy with sweeping new changes and increased efforts for organizations to be proactive in dealing with this issue.It’s a blessing to give to those in need. Yet every night churches and other religious organizations all over the world provide safe harbor for many that society has denied or turned their back on. Meals, a warm blanket, a friendly smile and other services are given to those in need.

Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach him and he can eat for a lifetime.

Every year millions of dollars are collected through non-profit organizations and other church affiliations to help those in need. Oftentimes this involves giving something away. Should not some monies be put towards giving to those in need of life skills so that they can get their lives back on track? We must start from somewhere, so why not find out who we are supporting.

Homeless support

It’s great to offer bed space or shelter, but consider also who’s co-located with at-risk families. Non-profits and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) do a great job of supporting those in need, but have you ever wondered if the guy in the bed next to your domestically abused sister, mother or daughter has a criminal history as a child molester or rapist? Truly, the church is not in the business of turning the needy away, but how can we protect those who can’t protect themselves, including the criminal. And though all of the dollars donated to the building fund, why after years, there is no building, no plan, and the perception is that leadership gets a new car every other year. Oh, by the way, some of the trustees have a criminal history of embezzlement or lifting funds from their daytime jobs.  So you get frustrated with the inner workings of the church and decide you and your family will move to another church that’s a ‘better fit’ and control of it philanthropic programs. But is it really?

Background checks

It should be incumbent upon every church, as in business, to know those who come through their doors. Major organizations have visitor control infrastructure and escort guests to more sensitive areas in facilities. Should churches embrace a similar business view? After all they are in the business of doing God’s work.

Churches and religious organizations should conduct basic background checks on key personnel; those handling money and working with kids. Seems simple and it is.

Today there are many technologies available to religious organizations that businesses use successfully every day to protect themselves from hiring bad people or with ill intent of your church’s resources.

Is it okay to ask the guy named ‘Joe’ who comes to your shelter every night to give up basic information only to find out his name is Jonathan and he’s been on the lamb from law enforcement for years.  You want to help him. It’s the Christian thing to do. But the reality is that your kindness has become a crutch he’s come to get by on.  There are other ways to help those whose past is checkered, but not when others are put in jeopardy.  In the scenario I discussed, large metropolitan areas probably deal with this on a more recurring basis, but smaller communities probably or should better understand whom they are supporting. Should your church be protected from people who could harm others who come to you for safe harbor?  Having the best intentions could be costly, not only in unfavorable publicity, but also in loss of church membership which is one of the major revenue generators for the work of the Lord. What’s interesting is that negative instances seem to have a life of their own and live on forever. Is that a risk church leadership is willing to embrace.

The church should be known as the place for the weary to rest their heads with a positive influence on the community.  Successful churches as a part of their business plan should know whom their key stakeholders are. Churches have annual business meetings to discuss everything from the strategic plan to how monies are being spent, what ministries are supported at what cost, and how much is taken in every year through tithes and donations. The churches, through its ministries, offer members the opportunity to join a ministry as what’s been gifted to them by God. But not all ministries are created equal with some having more risk.

Solutions

Although there are many solutions that can be considered, it’s most important to have church leadership embrace whatever is recommended and put in-place. For instance, have a real security ministry. Although they can provide traffic control for key events and services, consider having core security staffs look out for other security needs of the church. Choosing appropriate locks for doors and other key areas, monies escorted or taken to the bank in a timely manner to reduce cash around the church, etc.  Has your church considered putting in technologies to track or audit personnel entering and leaving the church after-hours? How many copies of the church key are really out there and who has made duplicates of it to give to other assistants? Do you know? Is there an inventory or audit conducted annually to account for things having meaning to the church? Don’t assume everyone has the church’s best interest at heart.

When your kids go to the back of the church with the youth minister and staff, do you wiggle in your seat with uneasiness, or do you drop your fears and get into the word by the pastor. What are those kids’ leaders’ history? There are instances of leaders who have served in after-school activities whose records are less than spotless when it comes to our future leaders.

One suggestion may be the installation of Kiddie cameras. The childcare industry and others have embraced the installation of such devices and other monitoring technologies for liability purposes. Does your church use these technologies or other means to monitor kids or others in key areas around the sanctuary?

Get a consultation

Getting a security consultation is more reasonable than you know. As Christian consultants, we understand the importance of serving God but also being reasonable when consulting for our brethren doing the Lord’s work.  It’s an investment well worth the peace of mind not only for church leadership, but members and visitors as well.

Yes, the insider threat does exist, not only to gain unauthorized access to your church’s precious resources, but also for those whom come through your doors for help who can’t help themselves and will hurt those who need our help the most. As Christians we should continue to help those in need and be a shining example in our community. But let’s not forget, we must also protect the sanctity and business of church but also our children and elders who depend on us.